


Not What He Thought

by HyperKid



Series: Trans Caleb AU [4]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Caleb learns the worst kept secret, Other, soft silly boys, tieflings do not have gilded nipples, trans!caleb, trans!molly, what even are tags
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-19
Updated: 2019-08-19
Packaged: 2020-09-07 07:03:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,293
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20305390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HyperKid/pseuds/HyperKid
Summary: On the way into Zadash, Caleb learns something he’s surprised he didn’t know before; Molly’s a nudist.Oh, and he has a proper binder. The bastard.





	Not What He Thought

**Author's Note:**

> HK: So. Haven’t posted in a while. Don’t like it.   
Mollymauk: So that’d be why you started something totally new?   
HK: But like... I also finished it?   
Mollymauk: I’m not complaining, I like when it’s all about me!   
HK: Oh, we noticed. We allllll noticed.   
Mollymauk: And I thank you all for feeding my needs~ 
> 
> WARNINGS!! Rating is for discussion of body parts and handsy tieflings 
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing and no one but I howled at the GenCon live show so I think Matt owns me now?

They were a little ways out of Allfield, Molly and Caleb in the back of the cart while Beau drives, when it happened. Molly shifted a few times, rolling his shoulders and making a face before he sighed and shook his head. 

“It’s no good, the damn thing keeps catching.” And with barely a glance to their companions, off came the tiefling’s coat and vest, and a minute later he’d shucked his shirt up. 

Caleb thought he’d seen the rough cotton garment laced across Molly’s chest before, or at least something like it. He couldn’t tear his gaze away as the tiefling flicked the laces open, sighing in relief as it loosened. Fabric bulged a little as it relaxed, and a glint of gold appeared between the laces. 

It looked a lot like what he’d imagined when Jester described her mother’s binders. 

The blue tiefling in question had glanced over at Molly’s announcement and suddenly beamed, crawling across from the front of the cart. 

“Oh, Molly! I didn’t know you had piercings!” 

For a heart stopping moment Caleb had thought she was about to declare what he’d been thinking. To blurt out happily that this was exactly what she meant. To let the whole group know. 

As his heart started beating again, he shot Molly a puzzled frown and promptly felt like an idiot when Molly grinned, tugging the laces free enough to open one side of the binder and flash a bright gold bar through his nipple. Of course. What had he thought the glint was? A tattoo?

Although to be fair, Caleb had never seen any evidence until now that tieflings didn’t have naturally gilded nipples. Except... he had seen Jester shirtless before. 

Clearly he was just an idiot. 

“I’ve got more than just these, sweetheart,” he teased, sticking out his tongue to expose the matching gold stud in it. 

Jester swatted dismissively at his tongue, leaning in and pausing just before her fingers touched the binder as though catching herself. 

“Can I see?” She asked eagerly, her tail almost twisting itself into knots behind her. Molly glanced around at their companions, now almost all watching, then grinned and shrugged. 

“Why not? I guess it’s a femme day.” Off came the shirt, like it was the easiest thing in the world. Then the binder. 

There wasn’t a whole lot for it to be doing, really. He had about the same figure as Beau, though about six inches taller. Slender, muscular without being bulky, with broad shoulders and soft- Caleb jerked his head away before his gaze could stray, cheeks flushing. 

Jester, of course, had no such compunctions, and apparently neither did Molly. 

“They’re so pretty Molly! Did they hurt to get them in?” 

“The first day? Oh yeah, hurt like a bitch. Not as bad as the ones on my dick though.” 

That was enough to jerk the wizard’s head back around, frowning at Jester. 

“We are not looking at those in the cart.” 

Jester visibly deflated, her lower lip sliding out in a pout that suggested he’d stolen her pastries. It was almost certainly an act and Caleb could feel a smile trying to tug at the corners of his mouth. Molly laughed, turning to tilt Jester’s chin down and press a soft kiss to her lips. 

“In the next town?” He offered, shooting Caleb a sly grin from the corner of his eye. “I have designs on a bath house once we reach Zadash.” 

His shoulders were still squared to the wizard, leaving his whole chest well on display. The colourful line of the peacock on his neck drew Caleb’s gaze down, to the scars that littered most of his chest and torso. Almost without really thinking about it Caleb’s gaze tracked along a long, pale scar until it crossed the creased line where the binder had marked lavender skin. 

Molly’s breasts were a little smaller than his own, about palm sized and almost dwarfed by the gleaming barbels glowing in the sunlight. It took Caleb a moment to realize that with the loose lines of Molly’s white shirt, he might not actually have noticed the tiefling going without a binder before. 

The ridiculously eye catching vest, coat, and overly florid manner would also direct the eye of an observer. 

And Molly was watching him still, from the corner of a solid red eye. It was a little difficult to tell where he was looking, but Caleb had had plenty of practice over the last week or so. A flush rose in his cheeks again but he forced himself to ignore it. 

If Molly wasn’t going to worry about his nudity, there was no reason Caleb should either. It wasn’t like Molly would just... guess, just because Caleb happened to be looking at his tits. He probably thought Caleb was thinking about something else entirely. 

The realization was somewhat freeing and Caleb relaxed enough to shoot Molly a small smile in return. Molly’s grin widened in response and his tail brushed the toe of Caleb’s boot from across the cart. 

And maybe now Caleb was thinking about other things. 

Beau took a moment from focusing on the road to give Molly a disinterested glance, breaking the moment. 

“We still call you he, right? Is there anything you’d prefer?” 

For a moment, Molly held Caleb’s gaze, the heat in that eye contact taking a moment to cool. Then he shrugged expansively and turned a dazzling smile on the monk. 

“He, she, they, I don’t really care. He seems to work for most people, but you can call me anything you want as long as you remember my name.” 

Beau nodded curtly and redirected her attention to the road. She didn’t even glance in Caleb’s direction, and he had to admit he was grateful for it. And maybe feeling just a little guilty that apparently his default expectation was still that they’d betray him. Accidentally, but still betrayal. 

Fjord drew alongside, gently nudging his horse to match pace with the cart. 

“Should we just expect you to be strippin’ during the day all the time, or is this a one time thing?” The half orc teased, reaching down enough to knock on Molly’s horn. 

The tiefling dodged sideways, laughing and sprawling himself back against the side of the cart to give Fjord a better view. 

“Is this an objection?” He teased right back, waggling his eyebrows up at the warlock. Fjord’s cheeks flushed faintly brown and he shook his head, but kept Molly’s gaze. 

“Just wonderin’ if I should have a blanket ready to toss over you if the law comes by.” 

“Nudity is not illegal,” Jester pointed out with a renewed pout. She still seemed hypnotized by Molly’s nipple rings, especially the way the sun blazed off them when he moved. 

Fjord chuckled and shook his head again. 

“They’re not so open in the Empire, Jes. Fuckin’ in the road kinda is.” 

“We’re not fucking,” Jester huffed primly, her tone just slightly belied by the way her fingertips skimmed along Molly’s scars. Fjord snickered and spurred his horse on a little faster. 

“Yet.” 

Molly grinned, leaning back against the cart to let her keep exploring. 

“I think Fjord’s asking for a show, darling,” he told her with a laugh which only got louder at Jester’s sudden wicked grin. 

And it was that easy. No one said anything. Passed a comment or gave him so much as an odd look. Most did start studiously avoiding looking in his direction when Jester’s wandering hands switched to tickling and tugging on his piercings, but it didn’t feel malicious. 

There was nothing wrong with who Molly was. 

For a small, dark, desperate moment, Caleb dared to hope they’d think nothing was wrong with him. 

**Author's Note:**

> HK: I’ve got another two touchpoints up on this mapped out in my head and then about a millllllion other things to finish, so wish me luck! I will be back!


End file.
